Conventional wall switches control light fixtures or electrical outlets for lamps over wired systems. The simplest wall switches are connected to a building's electrical power via electrical wiring and operate to connect or disconnect the electrical power to the conventional luminaire by switching electrical power ON or OFF. More sophisticated systems utilize wired data connected to enable wall switches and/or sensors to communicate with and control luminaires. More sophisticated systems, however, utilize luminaires and/or associated control devices that include intelligence (e.g. a processor, memory and programming) and appropriate communication interfaces. More recently, lighting systems have utilized wireless communications between the intelligent luminaires and the control-related elements of the system. For example, a light fixture or a connected power supply may receive an ON/OFF command over-the-air in response to activation of a wall switch that communicates the ON/OFF command wirelessly directly or indirectly to the power supply device that applies electrical power to the light source in the fixture.
Traditional approaches to collecting diagnostic information and performing maintenance of such lighting systems have involved inserting an additional device or element into the system. In a wireless system, such insertion involves positioning the additional device such that the additional device is able to capture or otherwise obtain wireless data. Addition of such device or element for diagnostic or maintenance purposes may negatively impact performance of the lighting system or otherwise influence collected information.
Accordingly, a system is needed to overcome these and other limitations in the art. Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the present subject matter may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.